


Twenty

by TheMalhamBird



Category: Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Dadlinar, Missing Scene, WoR spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-05-02 09:45:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5243696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMalhamBird/pseuds/TheMalhamBird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Missing Scene from the End of Words of Radiance. Dalinar wants to know why Kaladin hid his abilities, and has something to say to him about the deception.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twenty

**Author's Note:**

> I found the end of WoR to be a little rushed- it could have done with being longer. In fact, the book as a whole needed to be longer- more Dalinar, more Sebarial, more Renarin, more Kaladin and Adolin bonding...apparently, that would have broken Tor's printer, though, so perhaps it was for the best that it remained a mere 1088 pages ;-) Anyway, this is one of the scenes I felt was missing from the ending- Kaladin and Dalinar discussing the fact Kaladin's been hiding something major from him throughout the entire book.
> 
> Also, Kaladin and Adolin bonding. Enjoy!

Kaladin hesitated outside the door that separated Dalinar’s antechamber from his study. The previous day’s exploration of Urithiru had discovered a complete set of rooms apparently designed for administration; some form of order could now be implemented in the city.

And that, unfortunately, meant Dalinar had a chance to remember that he hadn’t actually known Kaladin was a windrunner until Kaladin had saved his life during the battle- and fought with the Assassin in White. Which he had done weeks before with a similar, if more limited, amount of success. It wouldn’t have taken a genius to work out that Kaladin had been using his abilities that time as well- and Dalinar wasn’t exactly stupid.

Syl settled in front of him, standing on the air with her arms folded. She looked different, somehow, more mature, but Kaladin couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

“You’re worrying,” she declared. “Stop being a worrier.”

“I hid this from him,” Kaladin whispered. “I shouldn’t have done that-“

“Well, _duh_ ,” Syl said. “If you had listened to _my_ advice-“

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.” Kal said.

Syl sniffed. “Well so you should be,” she said. “You did almost kill me, after all.”

“You said you forgave me!” Kaladin protested.

“I said I’d forgive you if you gave me a sincere smile.”

“And I did-“

“ _Once_.” Syl said. “You’ve gone gloomy again.”

“I’m just tired,” Kal said. And he was, he was exhausted. Two full nights of sleep hadn’t appeared to solve that. He cast a glance at the wooden door. “Tired and scared,” he admitted.

“Well, you have to knock at some point,” Syl said.

Kal nodded, taking a deep breath and raising a hand to rap lightly on the door.

It was pulled ajar almost immedeatley; Adolin stepped in to the gap with a concerning look of sympathy on his face.

“Good luck, bridgeboy.” He muttered.

Kaladin winced. “How much trouble am I in?”

“Difficult to say, he’s not pleased I can tell you that.” The princeling hesitated. “Do you want me to wait for you?”

“Yes,” Kaladin said, surprising himself with how much he wanted to have someone there. Every member of Bridge Four had offered, even Rlain and Dabbid- Sizgil had been teaching him glyphs, apparently- but Kaladin had waived them off, telling them to help with the exploration of Urithiru. Of course, he’d done that the night before, moments after receiving Dalinar’s summons, when the skyeels in his stomach hadn’t started hatching. “Yes, please. Thanks.”

Adolin smiled, and stepped past him, placing a hand on Kaladin’s shoulder as he went passed. Kaladin sighed and straightened his spine, before slipping through the door and pushing it shut behind him.

Dalinar sat behind his desk, elbows resting on the desk and fingers at mouth to form a triangle with his chin. He said nothing as Kaladin entered, merely studied him. The disappointment Kaladin so feared was evident in his expression and as Kaladin saluted he couldn’t help but blurt out:

“Sir I-”

“Sit down,” Dalinar interrupted him, gesturing to the chair opposite his desk. Kaladin did as he was told, perching on the edge of seat and folding his hands by his knees. The chair was too low for him; he had to fold his legs beneath it.

“There’s probably no need for you to continue calling me sir; Aladar and Sebariel have both expressed the view that it would be dangerous for the Radiants to be associated too strongly with the Kholin Princedom and I’m inclined to agree. It can’t be helped with Brightness Davar’s – her causal to Adolin binds her to us; you, on the other hand, can probably be established as an independent…Adolin tells me the men have started calling you “Lord Windrunner?”

Kaladin grimaced. “Yes,” he admitted.

Dalinar nodded. “We’ll need to establish you as an independent force In your own right, as far as possible; I don’t really want the Radiants tied to _Alethkar_ – we’ll need you and others to spread across Roshar, eventually-“

 _And that,_ Kaladin thought, _should be Elhokar’s decision._ He wondered whether Dalinar had been this controlling from the start- if he had been, then it was no wonder that the king lacked the confidence to make his own decisions and make a name for himself as a strong ruler. Of course, that could probably be remedied if-

 _What are you doing?_ Kaladin asked himself with a grown. _You are **not** going to start trying to rescue the King from himself, no matter what he asks you to do- _Syl was by the window, spiining and laughing gleefully as if she knew a secret no one else did.

“Captain?”

Kaladin jumped, feeling his cheeks grown warm. Apparently, Dalinar had been speaking to him.

“I’m sorry?” he asked.

Dalinar cleared his throat. “I asked if your rooms were suitable.”

“My….rooms…” Rooms, plural. Kaladin had a set of them: Bedroom, bathroom, study, sitting room, private sitting room. None of them were massive- by lighteyes standards. To Kaladin, they were huge. He was never going to use all that space, as he had repeatedly told Highlady Kholin as she had shown him around. Dalinar’s lips were twitching slightly.

“Navani suggested you were a little overwhelmed,” he said.

Kaladin nodded. “I won’t use it,” he said. “I don’t _like_ the space.” The first night had been far too quiet. The second, Kaladin had asked the bridge four to come and camp with him. They had refused, exulting in their dormitories further down the corridor and, Kaladin suspected, finding his discomfort amusing- although eventually, Skar had taken pity on him and agreed to share the double bed. That had been better, although Kaladin had missed being able to hear the snores of the rest of his men.

“You’ll get used to it,” Dalinar said. “It’s amazing what you begin to use if you have it. Assuming, of course, that you _know_ you have it.”

Kaladin shrank back, bracing himself for the lecture. Dalinar spread his hands and sighed.

“When did your powers first materialise?” Dalinar asked. “In Sadeas’ camp, certainly- you used them to save myself and my army.”

“Yes, sir.” Kaladin said. He tried to meet Dalinar’s gaze, but found himself focusing on his ear instead. Syl drifted a little closer, looking concerned despite her earlier admonitions towards him.  

“Yes, they materialised in Sadeas’ warcamp?”

“Yessir. At least, that was when I first became properly aware of it.”

Dalinar nodded. “You didn’t tell me.”

“I couldn’t,” Kaladin whispered, finally dragging his eyes over to meet Dalinar’s. “I couldn’t, I-“

“Why not?”  Dalinar asked. It wasn’t an angry question, it was…curious. Surprisingly gentle. Kaladin swallowed.

“I…I was frightened.”

“Of me?” Dalinar asked.

“Not exactly. Just… of what you would _do,_ whether…whether or not you would try and take her from me-“

“Her?” Dalinar frowned.

“Sylphrena. My spren.” Kaladin glanced at her. She smiled reassuringly. “I was frightened of what everyone else would do, to, I think, I don’t like-“ he licked his lips. “I don’t like the way everyone reacts to me, now they know- and I was scared that it would happen, it’s-“ he trailed off, unsure as to what he meant to say.

“It didn’t occur to you,” Dalinar said softly, “That it wouldn’t have gone further than the king and I if you hadn’t wanted it to?”

Kaladin stared. “…sir?”

“Of course it didn’t,” Dalinar sighed heavily, sitting back in his chair. “For the same reason that you were terrified we would try and take your powers, or attempt to replicate them in some way that damaged you.”

He pulled his hands over his face, before leaning forward again.

“I’m sorry,” Kaladin said.

“No, son,” Dalinar said. “I’m the one who should be sorry.”

“What?” Kaladin asked. He was aware he sounded stupid, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“I’m sorry,” Dalinar repeated. “I’ve handled things badly these past few months. It was obvious when I first clapped eyes on you that you were in a bad way emotionally and mentally, I suspect. I’ve handed you responsibilities that I wouldn’t have dreamed on piling on a more experienced officer and I pushed aside your concerns- well,” he amended, “I gave the appearance of ignoring your concerns regarding Amaram; I should have involved you more in the process…how old are you, son? I never really asked.”

“I’m twenty,” Kaladin said.

Dalinar smiled sadly. “Twenty, and Captain of my honour guard, Captain of King’s Honour Guard- twenty and fresh from a year’s worth of the worst kind of brutality…I am very, very, sorry, Kaladin. If I had taken a bit of time with you before throwing you in to the deep end to see if you’d float, you might have been able to trust me enough to come to me with this.”

Kaladin stared, at a complete loss as to what to say next. Fortunately, Dalinar seemed to understand, and he waived his hand. “Off with you. Take a day to relax. I’ll need to speak to you and Brightness Davar this evening, but in the meantime, I believe Adolin wants to take you clothes shopping, he was planning on waiting for you outside”

Kaladin found his voice at last. “How far is the drop from your window to the ground?” he asked in a strangled tone. “I can survive a couple of hundred feet…”

“I gave him my solemn promise I wouldn’t let you escape,” Dalinar said. “Of with you now.”

“Yes sir,” Kaladin said resignedly, standing up and saluting.

Dalinar nodded at the gesture. “There’s no need for that any more, Lord Windrunner. And there’s no need for sir either,” he chided.

Kaladin nodded. “Alright then.”

He crossed to the door, then turned, hesitating with his hand on the handle. “Thank you,” he said.

Dalinar nodded. “Off with you,” he said brusquely.

Kaladin smiled, and ducked back in to the antechamber.

Adolin stood, grinning. “He hasn’t roasted you then,” the princeling said cheerfully.

“Prat,” Kaladin said. “You knew he wasn’t going to.”

“Your _face_ ,” Adolin said. “You looked as if you expected an execution.”

“No, I gather that’s been rescheduled to now,” Kaladin said, raising an eyebrow. “Shopping? Princeling? Really?”

“So you’ll come?”

“If I must.”

“Good. Because the Lord Windrunner needs his own uniform designed, then we need to find you some decent casual clothing, something for feasts, something for sparring- although I believe the ladies of the court would be perfectly happy for you to that shirtless…


End file.
